Recipes for Change: Pasta, potatoes and asparagus

For Chef Bowerman, this recipe is all about buying locally and working with the local ecosystem. It features anchovies – a favourite in her native Italy, and widely available all over the world – blended with rich, hearty pasta and potato.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 15 ml olive oil
• 50 g white onion, thinly sliced
• Preserved anchovies in oil
• 2 potatoes (about 150 g net weight), cubed
• 100 g mixed pasta
• 4 stalks asparagus, cut into rings, with tips cut in half
• 50 g grated Grana Padano cheese
• 60 g sliced smoked provola
• 30 g mullet bottarga (optional)

Preparation

1. In a saucepan, sweat the onion in the olive oil.
2. Add the anchovies, cooking them until they melt.
3. Add the diced potatoes, along with enough cold water to cover the mixture.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat and allow it to sit for a few minutes.
5. Bring the pot to a boil again and add the mixed pasta.
6. Begin cooking the mixture as though it were a risotto: reduce the heat to very low, allow the mixture to simmer, and add small amounts of water as necessary to prevent it from drying out. Taste occasionally and add salt if needed. (You shouldn’t need extra salt, but check just in case.)
7. Once the pasta is fully cooked, turn off the heat, cover, and allow to rest for a few minutes.
8. Add the asparagus and grated cheese and mix well.
9. Line the bottom of a bowl with the smoked provola. Add the pasta and potato mixture. If desired, grate some bottarga over the top. Serve.

Publication date: 06 June 2022